Your Voice, Your Heart
by Setsuna-X
Summary: Stuck in a town for days Goku finds himself enraptured by a young girl. When the time to leave comes will he leave with Sanzo, who always treats him badly, or stay with the girl who promised to love him forever?
1. The Finding

"**Your Voice, Your Heart"** _by: Setsuna X  
_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Summary: **Stuck in a town for days Goku finds himself enraptured by a young girl. When the time to leave comes will he leave with Sanzo, who always treats him badly, or stay with the girl who promised to love him forever?

**Disclaimer:** These bishonens do not belong to me…although it'd be nice if they did.  


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**Chapter 1- The Finding**

"Ugh, when are we getting to the next town already!" whined Goku, clutching his stomach "I'm hungry over here!"

"Shut up!" replied Sanzo in a monotone voice, used to hearing the same damn thing day n and day out.

"Yeah, shut up you stupid monkey" said Gojyo putting Goku into a headlock. "Hey!" exclaimed Goku.

"According to the map" said Hakkai, glancing at the paper that fluttered on his lap "the next town should be just over this hill". Just as Hakkai said the three youkai and one human spotted the town with its bustling people and rowdy children. Just as they were about to descend a low moan caught their attention as well as the sound of rustling leaves.

All four of them became tense, waiting for one of Lord Gyumaoh's assassins to strike, but when nothing showed up Goku was the first to speak.

"You all heard that, right?" he asked as he slowly descended from the iron ca. Gojyo and Hakkai nodded as they followed Goku out of the car and toward where the sound came from. Sanzo stayed in place with an irritated look on his face as he crossed his arms across his chest. Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai had finally reached the bushes and all of them let out a startled gasp.

A human girl, around the age of sixteen, was lying there with bruises covering up her body and her ribs poking out slightly from her thin frame.

"Hey are you okay?" asked Goku as he reached out toward her tentively.

"Hold on Goku" Hakkai reprimanded "let me heal her first, moving might cause her more pain." Goku nodded and backed away from the girl slightly.

"Man, I wonder what could have happened to her" said Gojyo as he lifted the girl bridal style and carried her over to the car.

Sanzo gave an annoyed glare at the bundle in Gojyo's arms and bluntly, if not rudely, asked "What the hell is that?" lighting a cigarette in the process.

"Sheesh, she's just a little girl Sanzo, no older than the monkey."

"Hey!" yelled out Goku as he approached the car followed by Hakkai. "I'm not a monkey, damn water sprite!"

"She's in very poor condition Sanzo, we should take her into town with us" Hakkai said calmly. It was rare for him to ever ask Sanzo for anything.

All three of the guys stared at Sanzo and awaited his response partly nervous that he'd tell them to leave the poor girl on the road. It was a fact that Sanzo didn't like helping others.

"Whatever" he snorted as he turned back into his seat, facing forward. The rest of the guys shared a grin as the clamored back into the vehicle.

"Let's go Hakuryu" said Hakkai as the engine roared on and sped toward the town.

Once the four travelers entered the village they received an awful lot of attention. Mostly people staring at them with a look of disgust on their face or sneering at them openly, but they noticed those looks weren't sent at them directly, but at the girl in Gojyo's arms.

"The quicker we get to the inn the better" reasoned Sanzo as the others nodded in consent. The further they got into town the more aggressive the people became. Some began throwing insults that sounded a lot like 'Demon-spawn' and 'Devil-child'. Women began gathering their children and ushered them away. To say that they were stunned with this behavior was an understatement. They finally reached the inn, miraculously in one piece.

"I'm sorry, but you may not have a room" said the elderly innkeeper once he got a look at the child Gojyo was still clutching in his arms.

"And why would that be?" asked Sanzo threateningly.

"A-a Sanzo priest!" gasped the innkeeper. "You wouldn't happen to be Priest Genjo Sanzo, would you?" stuttered out the man.

"Who wants to know?" retorted Sanzo. The other three grinned at each other knowingly; there's no way anyone would turn down Sanzo.

"R-right" stuttered the innkeeper "right this way to your rooms please, but might I ask what you plan to do with that demon-child?" he asked while pointing at the girl

"Demon?" asked Goku in a surprised tone.

"Yes, she is an evil demon who terrorizes our village. That is why she was banished and is heavily scorned here." Sanzo just gave the man a glare. "B-but of course it isn't any of my business…heh heh" laughed the man nervously, stepping out of Sanzo's room.

Slowly Gojyo put the girl on the bed and sat down in the remaining chair.

"So…what do we do with her?" he asked looking at each of the guys in turn.

"Well, we can't just leave her starving and beaten on the outskirts of town!" declared Goku.

"I agree, but what if the things the innkeeper said were true ands she does terrorize the people of this village? They seemed rather active in their dislike of her" said Hakkai. Before anyone could answer a clap of thunder was heard along with the sound of rain. The pitter patter of droplets soon got heavier and heavier and it would only take it a couple of hours for it to really begin pouring outside.

Sanzo let out a sigh as he rubbed his face with one hand. "Well since it started raining and doesn't look like it'll let up by morning we're forced to stay here" said Gojyo logically.

"Hn. Well since you three picked up this excess baggage then you'll deal with her. Leave me out of it" said Sanzo, lighting up another cigarette.

"So where would she stay?" asked Goku.

"I suppose we could rent her a room" said Hakkai.

"I'll be damned if I'm wasting any money on some brat, a stranger even!" replied Sanzo, enforcing his statement with a most pronounced glare.

"Hey cheapskate! That's not even your money, that belongs to the three floating heads!" admonished Gojyo.

"Anyway, despite that I doubt the innkeeper would allow her to have a room anyway" continued on Sanzo, ignoring Gojyo's outburst.

"That is true. He did seem pretty forward about how he felt about her" said Hakkai.

"Well, she's not staying in my room, that's for sure" said Sanzo, glaring that the three youkai.

"Well, I have Hakkaryu and there wouldn't be any space left in my room" said Hakkai.

"And we can't let Gojyo stay with a girl, right? I mean, he is a pervy water sprite" continued on Goku.

"Hey!" exclaimed Gojyo "she's too young for me to do anything to her."

"So that means that she will stay with you, Goku" continued Hakkai, ignoring Gojyo completely.

"All right, I'm going to ask the inn keeper if he has any more futons or something so I can sleep on the floor. Gojyo, take her to my room and put her on the bed."

"Where do you go off giving _me_ orders, you stupid monkey" retaliated Gojyo, annoyed at everyone.

"It wasn't an order as much as a request, dumbass" calmly responded Sanzo "although you are stupid enough to get the two mixed up." Instead of retaliating to that comment as well, because he knew that Sanzo had a point Gojyo simply grumbled something that sounded an awful lot like 'stupid worldly priest' and 'dumb monkey' as he lifted the girl up and carried her over to Goku's room with Hakkai trailing behind him and Goku had gone to retrieve the futon. Sanzo remained in the room with a cigarette in his mouth, the smoke escaping from his lips.

There was something bad and wrong with that girl. The villagers called her a demon, yet her appearance was nothing but a broken and fragile human girl and she had no visible power limiters either. Were the villagers calling her a demon based solely on behavior or was there some truth to what they said? There was also the feeling that something was off with her chi and aura…but he couldn't figure out what it was, but the thing that bothered him the most was how attached Goku seemed to her, especially after such a short time.

Sanzo sat contemplating these things for a few moments more, but decided it was too much of a hassle and began to read his newspaper…perhaps there would be something on the child in there.

_**TBC**_

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A/N: **Finally finished typing up chapter 1. –sigh- That took longer than I thought. I'll see how fast I can get chapter 2 up, but considering work, school, and other fics that I'm currently typing out it might take a while. But bear with me please and await any new chapters.


	2. The Keeping

"**Your Voice, Your Heart"** _by: Setsuna X  
_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Summary: **Stuck in a town for days Goku finds himself enraptured by a young girl. When the time to leave comes will he leave with Sanzo, who always treats him badly, or stay with the girl who promised to love him forever?

**Disclaimer:** Not mine..well, the characters aren't…the plot is though, okay?  


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**  
Chapter 2- The Keeping**

The mysterious girl continued to sleep throughout the rest of the day and the Sanzo party resumed their conversation regarding the 'extra baggage' they had acquired. All three demons decided not to push their gun-wielding leader, especially considering the mood he was currently in. Not only did they _help_ someone, but also the rain brought out that 'angry-angst' attitude out of Sanzo. The demons knew that they had already asked a lot by saving that girl and becoming involved, there was no need to push the issue.

Goku, unable to take the uneasy silence anymore blurted out "So, what are we going to do with her?!" Gojyo smacked his forehead in sheer exasperation at the monkey's bluntness while Hakkai simply shook his head in shame at Goku's lack of tact.

At that moment Sanzo ripped his view from the window and placed a threatening glare at Goku's direction. Sure, Sanzo was usually glaring at something or other, but this glare promised pain and a quick death from his banishing gun if one more stupid comment was made from Goku. Goku audibly gulped, hoping he wouldn't have to sport a headache (or a hole in his head) this night.

"We have no obligations to keep and care for her. As soon as she wakes up, she leaves," said Sanzo and meaning every word of it.

"Wha-at! You can't possibly mean that Sanzo!" exclaimed Goku at the unfairness of it all.

"Yeah Sanzo, you heard what the innkeeper said, they ran her outta town. She has nowhere else," amended Gojyo.

"I agree with them Sanzo. We can't possibly leave her alone like this," continued on Hakkai with the explanation on why they should care for the child. It was a wonder that he could come up with a lot of points in such a short amount of time. Had he guessed that Sanzo would have said 'no' from the beginning?

Sanzo remained silent throughout their explanations, contemplating the best way to get rid of the brat. There was something odd and wrong about her. Surely they felt it. The twitch in her aura…

"No," Sanzo began "there's something not right about her. She could be out to kill us for all we know---"

"She's just a kid!" interrupted Goku.

"So is Lirin and that Ginkaku-kid and they were pretty capable of attacking us." The other three members of their group continued on staring at Sanzo hoping he'd take back his words. After what seemed like an eternity they knew that Sanzo had meant what he said and was therefore _never_ going to take back what he said. Stubborn bastard.

"I don't feel anything wrong with her aura," said Hakkai at last.

"Yeah, me neither," said Gojyo and Goku at the same time.

"You're probably just making that all up Sanzo. You just don't want any company on these rainy days and are too cheap to pay for anything either," said Goku proudly, muttering afterwards about how it wasn't Sanzo's money to begin with. Sanzo's glare just hardened, making his normally violet eyes turn into hard, ice-cold amethysts.

"Fine, do whatever the hell you want, you bakazaru, but she won't use the three aspects money. And don't come crying to me when things get bad and you can't handle them. Now the three of you, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!!!" Sanzo shouted each word louder than the last. Both Gojyo and Goku were visibly frightened, especially after the blond monk took out his gun and fired a few practice rounds near them, some too close for comfort. Hakkai merely gave Sanzo a disapproving glance that Sanzo pointedly ignored. All three demons scrambled out of the room, Goku and Gojyo at an unbelievably fast pace.

Sanzo took out another Marlboro cigarette, turned back to face the quivering window being pelted by hard rain and began to contemplate the situation they managed to find themselves in this time, his thoughts coming in and disappearing just as quickly as the raindrops outside.

_Why couldn't they sense the inconsistency of her Aura?_

She was cleverly hidden, that was for sure. It was like she had been practicing this her whole life or something. The only thing left to do was to see how this all played out in the end, but he wasn't going to save their asses once they figured out they were wrong.

With that thought in mind Sanzo put out his cigarette and went to bed, hoping on a decent nights rest, although the drumming of the rain on the window would probably keep him up.

**_TBC  
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A/N: **Short chapter, I know. Sadly I think every chapter after this is going to be around the same length, but as long as something is posted then I think this is okay. I still got a lot of other stuff to type out and at least finals at school are over and done with, so I don't have to worry too much about time management. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading and to my reviewer: **i love athrun. **Stay tuned for further chapters.


	3. The Meeting

"**Your Voice, Your Heart"** _by: Setsuna X  
_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Summary: **Stuck in a town for days Goku finds himself enraptured by a young girl. When the time to leave comes will he leave with Sanzo, who always treats him badly, or stay with the girl who promised to love him forever?

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Never will be…but it can't hurt to dream

**

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Chapter 3- The Meeting**

Morning came and the soft pitter-patter of the continuing rain hitting the glass windows echoed through the quiet room.

Goku woke up from his spot on the floor, surrounded by blankets, to the smell of something that remotely resembled bacon. He glanced over to the bed, where they had placed the girl they happened to pick up, to find her already awake and studying him intently.

Goku felt a slight blush work its way up from his neck and creep onto his cheeks, staining them a faint pink. The mysterious girl just cocked her head in question, her eyes wary of the unknown person in this unknown location.

"Hi!" chirped Goku, hoping to put the poor girl at ease with his cheerfulness.

"Hey," whispered the girl softly, eyes now downcast in shyness, but altogether feeling much better.

"Have you been up long?" asked Goku, but without waiting for a response continued with "Wait here and I'll call Gojyo and Hakkai. We'll get you some food, stay here, I'll be right back!" rattled off Goku, hyper as if on a sugar high. He then practically ran out of the door to Hakkai and Gojyo's room.

The girl just smiled softly at the highly energetic boy, (seriously who had that much energy after just waking up?) and glanced around the room curiously. She got up and made her way over to the window overlooking the busy bustling of early consumers. Despite the rain people had to sell things and others had to buy them.

"Gojyo! Hakkai!" shouted Goku, running through the wooden hallway. Both men slammed their doors open, glaring sleepily, yet alert, especially being used to having to wake up during the middle of the night if an attack was occurring.

"Goku," began Hakkai, suppressing a yawn "what's wrong?"

Though before Goku could formulate a response, Sanzo's door flew open, hitting the door behind it. There stood the 'renegade' priest, equipped with a gun at hand and complete with messy blonde hair from being awakened abruptly.

"What the hell is all the damn noise for?" Sanzo said through clenched teeth and a twitching eyebrow. He pinned Goku with one of his deadliest glares, actually they all seemed pretty deadly, and Goku visibly gulped.

"Uhh-h," the boy stammered "the girl we picked up is awake already" he said sheepishly, knowing that they had been prepared for a fight simply because he had shouted hysterically,

"You made all that damn racket, making it seem like an emergency, and now you're just telling me it was nothing more than that snot-nosed brat waking up!" shouted Sanzo, his voice gradually increasing in volume.

Hakkai cut in, unwilling to cause a scene or awaken any more people with the sound of gunshots, especially since Sanzo's hand twitched to shoot Goku.

"Now now Sanzo, Goku was just worried and excited, you know how he gets, that's all. No harm done," amended Hakkai. Sanzo's anger slowly left him, but he was still annoyed and his hand twitched every so often for his gun.

"Well, that's good news then," stated Gojyo as he began to leave his room in search of the young girl, "I think we left her alone long enough. Let's get us some answers."

And with that, plus some mumbling complaints from Sanzo, the four travelers went into Goku's room to meet their new guest.

**_TBC_**  


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**A/N: **Sorry for the short chapter… Anyway, Chapter 4 should by up within the month, since I'm busy writing other stories, plus I began several new HP stories. I want to thank my reviewer: **windflame! **Thanks a lot! And of course to anyone else who read this, thanks. Until later then.


	4. The Questioning

"**Your Voice, Your Heart"** _by: Setsuna X  
_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Summary: **Stuck in a town for days Goku finds himself enraptured by a young girl. When the time to leave comes will he leave with Sanzo, who always treats him badly, or stay with the girl who promised to love him forever?

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Never will be. Still dreaming though.

**

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Chapter 4-The Questioning**

The group followed Goku to his room, where the young girl was perched on the window seat, staring down at the towns people bustling around. She turned around slowly, aware at the people that just entered. Her face showed apprehension and her eyes held distrust.

She wasn't sure what these people wanted to do with her, but she noticed that young boy again, the one that had treated her nicely and with warmth. It had been a long time since she had been treated with such care. Others would either sneer at her direction or wouldn't even pay her existence a second glance.

Her expression changed at that moment. She was still apprehensive at these new men, but her beating heart had calmed a bit once she saw the golden-eyed boy.

The members of the Sanzo party just looked at the girl curiously, watching her emotions filter across her face. Hakkai had a warm smile on his face, Gojyo had a slight grin, Goku held a smile that was bound to split his face, and Sanzo glared as if to set her head on fire.

Goku stared at the girl, enraptured at how her chocolaty locks seemed to glow ethereally. His breath hitched slightly, the only one to react this way. Sanzo shifted his glare off the girl and aimed it at Goku, aware at the small noise the boy had made.

The young girl started to become nervous once again. That blonde man, in the priest robes, was a scary sight indeed. His amethyst eyes glowed with something akin to hatred.

"He-hello," stuttered out the girl, breaking the silence that had descended in the room. Her confidence grew a little, seeing how well the other three people had responded to her. Their smiles became warmer, overshadowing the dampening cloud that was Sanzo's expression.

"Hello there," began Hakkai, cheerful as ever, "how did you sleep?"

The girl blushed softly, her pale cheeks acquiring a healthy, rosy glow. Goku's eyes attached themselves to that image. They widened as if looking at beauty personified. Sanzo's glare sharpened, becoming more intense than ever, but the girl didn't seem put out by the display anymore and readily answered.

"I slept wonderfully, thank you," she responded. She stood up from her seat and gave them all a deep bow of gratitude.

"Now those are some manners," stated Gojyo proudly, as if he had raised her and taught her how to act politely. Sanzo just let out a snort at the compliment, but his glare had decreased in its intensity, seeing that it didn't affect the girl as it had before. These fools he traveled with certainly ruined his reputation.

Sanzo's eye did twitch slightly though. It seemed that ever since they had found that brat he had been in a bad mood, and it had nothing to do with the rain this time. If only the now drizzling rain would end already, then they'd be out of this town. Even if it did stop raining for a while it might start up again soon. It would be infinitely better to wait it out until the clouds left the area. But Sanzo didn't want to wait that long. The longer they stayed in this town, the more attached his 'companions' would become with this little brat of a child. They would probably end up begging and pleading with him to help her out or something equally annoying, especially Goku. That little monkey already seemed completely enamored with the brown haired girl, and saying 'no' to Goku was sometimes harder than he made it seem. Also, he wasn't as cold hearted as he always appeared, but this child was not normal, and he be dammed if her were to get tricked into helping her.

"Well, why don't we all head on downstairs for a nice, hearty breakfast?" asked Hakkai, noticing Sanzo's mood. The other four complied as the made their way down the stairs. The creaking wood beneath their feet sounded like gunshot in the air. The silence was deafening as they made their way to a square table in the corner.

Goku rushed and landed in the chair closest to the young girl. When he snatched the chair from right under Gojyo's hands with lightening reflexes, Gojyo was left only to blink at his empty hands, void of a chair. He raised an eyebrow at Goku's direction, but the young demon was oblivious as he sat and stared that the girl who was busy staring at her hands intently.

Hakkai soon returned with steaming bowls of rice and miso soup, along with the innkeeper carrying the drinks. Goku looked slightly put out by the lack of meat and the small amount of food they were having at the moment, but didn't say anything. Especially considering the horrible mood Sanzo was in. He did feel a little bad that they were all having a good time while Sanzo was mad, but tried to not let it bother him. It wasn't his fault after all.

Goku, though, unable to look at the table so bare order them some spring rolls to go along with their meal. Since no one protested he knew that it was fine. Silence had descended them, but the young girl drew her wits about her and decided to break it. The silence was too oppressing and she couldn't stand it anymore.

"So, what are all your names?" she inquired.

But before anyone could answer, Sanzo had rudely cut in. Rudely and in a cold voice he asked "Why don't you tell us _your _name first?"

His three demon companions gave him a shocked look, which turned into a cold glare. Sanzo couldn't care less. Where did this brat get off demanding such information?

"Now Sanzo," Hakkai began to reprimand, but the young girl interrupted smoothly.

"It's alright. I guess that was rather rude of me to not introduce myself, yet expect you all to introduce yourselves, especially after everything you've all done for me," she said in a sweet, sincere, yet strong voice. She had gathered confidence from those around her and was ready to meet the monk, a Sanzo priest, she believed, head on. "My name is Kira Teitiel. Just call me Teitiel, please. Now may I please enquire to your names?" she cheekily asked.

Gojyo almost spat out the tea he had been sipping for breakfast when he heard that. That little brat totally got one off of Sanzo. Oh! That had been too funny. The look on the monk was splendid. Sanzo looked ready to strangle the child, too bad she hadn't done anything wrong. If anything Gojyo was amazed that the priest had been able to not pull his gun out on her yet, considering how he had been talking about her the night before.

Hakkai, polite as ever, was the first to answer. "My name is Cho Hakkai," he said and Teitiel nodded in his direction in acknowledgment and with a smile on her face too.

"I'm Sha Gojyo," said Gojyo with a sly wink at her direction.

Goku, noticing the beginning of Gojyo's flirtation techniques thrusted out his hand at Teitiel and in a slightly then normal volume said, "and I'm Son Goku!" Teitiel placed her slimmer, paler hand into Goku's tanned one and shook slightly. Goku felt a warm and safe feeling coming from Teitiel and his face flushed slightly.

Sanzo just continued on glaring and eating his soup, not acknowledging anything going around the table. He opted to just ignore the fact that this brat existed. There was no way he was going to give her his name. That gave people power over you, and since he didn't trust this refugee one bit there was no way she was getting his name.

**_TBC_**

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A/N: **Okay, this is where I'm ending it now. This is actually longer than when I first wrote it out, but my basic plot is there. So anyway, thanks for everyone for reading. To my reviewer: **Cosmic Moon Goddess. **Thanks a lot for your support. I hope to have another chapter up in a while though. I'm still working on my other fics and the ones over on my other account: _**HP-Love and Smut Stories**_. Some of the parings there are pretty over the top. Lemme know what you think about them please! Anyway, this is enough drivel, so till next chapter!


	5. The Splitting

"**Your Voice, Your Heart"** _by: Setsuna X  
_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Summary: **Stuck in a town for days Goku finds himself enraptured by a young girl. When the time to leave comes will he leave with Sanzo, who always treats him badly, or stay with the girl who promised to love him forever?

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine. They still belong to Minekura. I wonder what I can bargain to get them though…

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**Chapter 5 - The Splitting**

All three demons turned to Sanzo, awaiting his response. Nothing but silence was at the table. Despite the rowdiness of the other customers, their table was as silent as the dead.

Both Gojyo and Goku couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't in their nature to be silent. Both demons let out a groan of annoyance at the stubbornness their un-proclaimed leader was showing. Hakkai was also showing his impatience with Sanzo, eyeing him with disapproving eyes. Sanzo just ignored those around him, opting to just continue sipping his tea and eating the white rice.

It was one thing to be rude to people, but this was a little girl, and a nice one at that, but Sanzo never rose his head and his eyes stayed downcast staring at the wooden table, avoiding any confrontation.

"Grr... And that ill-behaved priest over there is Genjyo Sanzo, the unholiest of all monks!" exclaimed Gojyo, unable to deal with the high tension and silence.

At his exclamation Sanzo quickly gazed up, pinning Gojyo with one of his deadliest glares and shouted, "Who the hell gave you permission to give anyone _my_ name, you damn perverted water sprite!"

Sanzo rose quickly, the wooden chair clattering to the ground as he stalked out the door and into town, slamming the door close. He ignored the fact that it was still raining and figured that he'd rather be soaking wet than deal with these idiots any longer.

All the people in the inn who were calmly enjoying their breakfast stopped what they were doing and stared at the four left at the corner table. Soon the silence evaporated and they all returned to their original activities.

The owner made his way over to their table but Hakkai gave him a look that clearly said 'Everything's alright' along with a warm smile. The owner gave him an unconvincing glance but decided since no harm was done then there was nothing for him to do otherwise.

All three members of the esteemed Sanzo party looked at one another in apprehension and confusion. They all had the same thought in their heads: Just what the hell was Sanzo so angry about?

"I apologize for my friends rude behavior," said Hakkai to Teitiel. He hoped that Sanzo's fiery attitude hadn't scared her too much. Those piercing violet eyes were something else when squinted in a glare. He was sure he saw a demon or two in the past become paralyzed just by looking at that deadly glance.

"I-its all right, but did I do something wrong, or … or is he always like this?" asked Teitiel hesitantly, hoping not to rise the ire of the other men around her. If they got mad and rejected her now then she'd have no place to go. She held her hands in her lap, not giving in to the impulse to cover her mouth.

"He's usually cranky, but the rain really gets him in a bad mood. I don't understand it either, so don't take it personally. You did nothing wrong," Goku reassured her quickly, not wanting her to blame herself. Was it really all because of the rain?

"Oh, ok," she said, feeling much better at knowing that her rescuers were not going to throw her out, "I hope he feels better soon," she said with a gentle smile which Goku visibly melted at.

Everyone at the table were finally able to relax and began having various conversations. Teitiel didn't talk much about herself, so not a lot was learned about her origins. Goku was busy spouting off all the battles and adventures they've had with Gojyo and Hakkai butting in every now and then to add their own recollections to the battles.

Soon breakfast was finished, Sanzo's barely eaten food being the only one remaining on the table. Both Goku and Hakkai glanced at it in worry. Sanzo had hardly eaten anything; it was completely unhealthy since breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Goku pushed away the guilty feelings in his stomach and followed Gojyo and Teitiel back to their rooms with Hakkai following from behind.

During the many conversations they managed over breakfast was that of mahjong. Teitiel had said that she had never played a game in her life and confessed that she had always wanted to learn. Since they had the right number of players they retired to Goku's room for a game or two.

**_TBC_  


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A/N: **Short chapter after all this time, I know it's a bit disappointing. I don't think there is much left to the story, it should be finished in another 5 chapters or so, I hope. Thanks again to anyone who read and to **StarComets 04, **my reviewer, thanks a bunch.


	6. New Knowledge

"**Your Voice, Your Heart"** _by: Setsuna X  
_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Summary: **Stuck in a town for days Goku finds himself enraptured by a young girl. When the time to leave comes, will he leave with Sanzo, who always treats him badly, or stay with the girl who promised to love him forever?  
**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine. They still belong to Minekura. Do you think she accepts Credit?  
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**Chapter 6- New Knowledge**

"Che," grumbled Sanzo as he exited and walked through the bustling market place. It seemed that the villagers woke up early to be able to sell their goods first. Sanzo continued walking aimlessly through the many food stands, letting his feet lead him where they will.

He continued thinking over that 'demon-girl' as the villagers called her. On the outside she seemed like any normal teenage kid, her features were neither exceptionally ugly nor beautiful. Her hair was long and slightly miskept from not being cleaned often enough and her stature was a bit shorter than Goku, give or take a centimeter or two. Her frame was thin and seemingly weak, but for some reason a good nights rest seemed to do wonders for her.

It was not natural for a human under those circumstances to neither heal that quickly nor be able to function as if nothing had happened the day before. Sanzo knew that Hakkai had healed her wounds, and if anything, Hakkai was an exceptional healer, being healed by him more than he could count, and knew that the brat would probably be fine. Yet it seemed as if the healing process was too quick, even with Hakkai's assistance. In addition, Sanzo couldn't make out why it was so different.

Unless, she wasn't human…

The towns' people referred to her as a demon and cursed her whenever they saw the chocolate-haired girl. It was a known fact that demons had greater resistance to most things that would often kill humans. Poisons, deep wounds, and blood loss were just to name a few, but another exceptional trait that demons seemed to have was their healing abilities. Under the worst conditions a demon can naturally heal themselves with their demonic chi. It wasn't something that Sanzo really understood, he just knew it to be true.

Maybe that was how the child had healed so quickly? She was extremely undernourished and the breakfast they were having would have made her a little sick, seeing as if she shouldn't be able to eat so much food in one sitting after having been practically starving.

Sanzo pondered this further as he ended up on the outskirts of the town. It was also odd that Hakkai, their certified healer, had healed the girl, the starvation going completely unnoticed. It didn't seem right. Hakkai was sharper than their other companions were and readily trusted his assessments of the situations they seemed to always find themselves in, but this time it seemed that Hakkai was firmly on the girls side. Maybe it brought back memories of his own childhood or something, or he simply pitied and sympathized with the girl, but it seemed as if he wouldn't be leaving the little brat alone for a while. Especially since the other, two of their group seemed to be completely on her side as well.

All these thoughts were only giving Sanzo a headache. He should just leave those fools to fend for themselves. It wasn't his fault that they constantly refused to believe and obey him. Sanzo _knows_ that something is not right about the girl, and despite not wanting to get involved with the situation and teach his fellow youkai companions a lesson he could not let this go.

Sanzo noticed that something was really not right. The speedy recovery, Hakkai's inability to diagnose and treat the girl properly, and Goku's fast infatuation with the brat. All these instances point back to the fact that the girls' aura was not what it should be.

Sanzo found a small, wooden bench under an abandoned buildings' roof on the very outskirts of the town and sat down. He pulled out a cigarette and tried to relax with a smoke. While he was walking through the market place he noticed several villagers pointing to the sky or constantly glancing at is saying words like 'not again' and 'the time is repeating'. Sanzo wondered what they were talking about, but was so engrossed in his thoughts that he ignored them. Now that he sat and thought about it, maybe he should have asked one of the villagers for more information.

He took another drag from his cigarette, allowing the smoke to invade his lungs before exhaling it into the sky. He glanced up himself, staring as the grey clouds let out small droplets of rain. It was not a heavy downpour like yesterday, but still annoying to travel in. Yet, now he rather just leave this boring town and that small girl and risk getting soaked. It wasn't as if they didn't have the materials for camping out. And if he, the one that was bothered by the rain so much (except for Hakkai) was all right with traveling in the rain then the rest of the group should have no problem with it.

They would probably be astonished that he was willing to travel in such conditions, but right now, he seemed he would do anything to leave early. He didn't want to get involved with this girl if he didn't have to and he didn't want his companions to be attached to her more than they needed to. Especially Goku. The boy was so naïve and kind-hearted that it would really break him to find out some horrible truth that this girl seemed to be hiding. Gojyo and Hakkai would probably feel the same disappointment, but it wouldn't be as deep as Goku would feel it. He was unnaturally attached to that girl, only having met her for a few hours. Sure, Goku was generally easy going, but he wasn't that great of an idiot and should have had his guard up.

That is, unless he didn't have the chance to have his guard up.

This whole situation made him uneasy. However, it looked as if his companions were ready for any type of negotiations. Sanzo rose from his seat and dropped the used up cigarette to the ground, grinding it with his boot. He took another cigarette from its pack and placed the stick in his mouth, lighting up the end. He took a long drag then exhaled, ready to make his way back to town to be able to gain more information on the girl in order to build his case against her and convince his dim-witted and stubborn companions that they should leave immediately and forget that they had ever met this 'human-girl' Teitiel.

Sanzo turned; ready to trudge back to town when he felt something behind him. The aura felt familiar as he turned sharply, drawing his gun in one swoop as his cigarette flew from his mouth in surprise. Behind him, about to strike with sharpened claws was a youkai (1). Sanzo noticed that something wasn't right about this demon right away, as he dodged quickly by jumping back, swiftly moving his gun in position and shot two shots directly into the chest. Another demon sprung from the bushes near by, followed closely by three more demons.

Something about them seemed odd though. Their eyes seemed empty, like they were being controlled. The also didn't declare themselves as assassins nor as wanting the scripture, they just attacked. They moved quickly, surrounding him in a loose circle. Their eyes held no shimmer of life in them and when they moved it didn't look natural. Sanzo dodged left and right as the youkai barely missed him. One or two managed to rip his white Sanzo robes a bit on the sleeves, but no real harm came to him. The blonde priest shot another two rounds into a demon that had rushed him head on, his body hitting the ground loudly and with a small splash because of the fallen rain.

Sanzo's footing wasn't really the best. This terrain was wet and slippery and it made it difficult to move with ease and dodge the oncoming attacks from the oddly moving demons. He only had one shot left in his gun as he shot another demon squarely in the forehead, letting him drop like a fly.

Only two demons were left and he had no more ammo in his gun. The situation looked grim, but he had been in worse. He easily moved away from two other attacks, despite the sucky footing, and pulled out five bullets to reload his gun. He slipped in the cartridges easily, the movement coming to him naturally, and fired off another two rounds into another demon, vaguely noticing the dead body hit the ground as he turned to look at his remaining opponent. He knew he could easily kill this one demon, before it had been a bit difficult because of their numbers, but now only one was left and he was able to figure something out that had been bothering him since the fight had started.

As he noticed their eyes were empty, void of any conscious thought, and their movements were unnatural and forced, as if being controlled. This one demon, now that Sanzo evaluated closer, had the same aura (2) that Kira Teitiel had.

Now this was some proof to use against that 'demon-girl'. He knew he had been right when he said that there was something wrong with her. She seemed a little fake, and her smile seemed a little forced. This looked bad. His companions would probably not believe him, claiming that it was just his usual sour attitude that forced him to come to these conclusions. That girl had to be weaving some sort of demon spell or something like that around Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai in order to subtly control them. It seemed that the villagers and himself were unaffected since they were humans. Maybe the spell was related to his biological makeup or something mysterious like that.

The blonde monk swiftly placed another bullet into the demons heart, killing him instantly. Sanzo pulled out another cigarette, looking at the fallen one on the ground in distaste since it was such a waste and blew the smoke from his lungs. Sanzo proceeded to walk back into town, ignoring the small torns his robes seemed to acquire along with the splattered blood upon the white fabric.

On his way back to the hotel Sanzo stopped periodically to talk to the towns' people. Ignoring the way they seemed to stutter the fact that he was a Sanzo priest, the blonde man was able to gather further information on the girl 'Kira Teitiel'. He finally finished his inquiries and had some solid information and witnesses to finally convince his three demon companions that hanging out and protecting this girl was really not in their best interests.

_TBC_

**

* * *

A/N: **Yay, chapter 6 is finally up. Thanks for people who are still reading this. I really do love Saiyuki, but I find it a bit difficult to write fics for it since I want to get their characters perfectly. I hope I'm doing an okay job at not destroying their personalities too much. 

Notes:  
(1) Youkai – demon; I'll alternate between using both words. This is just for clarification.  
(2) Aura – "a subtle invisible essence or fluid said to emanate from human and animal bodies, and even from things; the atmosphere surrounding a person." More information can be found in _How to read the Aura, Practice Psychometry, Telepathy and Clairvoyance_" by W.E. Butler.

Special thanks, as always, goes out to my reviewers, since this story is for you guys!  
Thanks to:

**Gerigirl-**I'm glad that you like the story, and please keep on reading.  
**Gen 50- **I hope my message answered some things for you. Please understand that I'm trying to write them IC as much as I can. Then again, this is fanfiction and OOC is allowed, yet I'd rather not write so much of that.  
**Yin-Sid- **Haha, I was reading DeathNote when I first thought of the name, but originally both names came from Angel Sanctuary (which, for the record, does not belong to me either). I'm glad you like the story, and thanks for your review.  
**StarComets 04-** Thanks so much for your happy review and uplifting words. It'd be easier if you put this story on your alert list, but I'll send you a message regardless. Thanks for reading and for your review.

Thanks everyone and please look forward to future chapters!


	7. A Plan Constructed

"**Your Voice, Your Heart"** _by: Setsuna X  
_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**Summary: **Stuck in a town for days Goku finds himself enraptured by a young girl. When the time to leave comes, will he leave with Sanzo, who always treats him badly, or stay with the girl who promised to love him forever?  
**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine. They still belong to Minekura. Damn, I really want some bishies of my own.  
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**Chapter 7- A Plan Constructed**

Once Sanzo reached the inn he knew that something was amiss. He could usually sense when one of his companions were nearby, especially Goku, but at the moment he couldn't feel any of their signature auras. The blonde priest walked toward the inn keeper in slow, measured steps, undeterred because of the current situation. Those idiots would not die. Despite always yelling at them he still felt that they should be able to take care of themselves, well, at least Hakkai could. And if they did, well then, he'd find a way to bring them back then kill them himself, just so someone worthy was the one to off them.

"Where are my...companions?" asked Sanzo, unsure of what word to use to describe the rest of his party.

The innkeeper just looked at him, surprised that the one who had stormed out was now looking for the others. "I believe they went up to one of the rooms, Master Sanzo," replied the innkeeper truthfully.

Sanzo looked at the man, completely unbelieving but it didn't look as if the brown haired man was lying. He nodded his head briefly and walked slowly up to the second floor of the inn where the rooms were situated. He took out his gun just in case and made sure there were six rounds in the chamber. He stepped lightly upon the wooden steps, careful to not be caught off guard. The hallway was quiet, but that was understandable since it was hard to hear anything inside the rooms without putting an ear to the door.

Sanzo decided to return to his room first and was relieved to see that it was empty, though that left him wondering where the rest were. His three youkai companions would usually rest in his room while on trips, either because it was easy to congregate there or because they simply loved annoying him. Regardless, they weren't there and he still couldn't sense them. The monk removed the Maten Sutra from his shoulders, laying it on his bed, allowing it to dry. He then removed his robes, since being out in the rain even for that short amount of time, had practically soaked them. He walked around the room until his steps led him back to the window.

A new cigarette was smoking tightly held between two pink lips, Sanzo's amethyst eyes scanning the bustling crowd below. The things that he heard from the towns people were running through his head as he tried to figure how to convince the other stubborn people of his group. Once his Marlboro cigarette finished and became nothing but ashes did Sanzo move from his place from the window and figured it was about time he found the rest of the members of his group. He glared slightly at his still damp robe, but donned the priestly garb along the the sutra draped over his shoulders once more. He headed out of his room and decided to check the rest of the other rooms before moving onto scourging the town.

* * *

"Oh wow, you really got the hang of this!" cheered Goku. "You sure you haven't played before?" he asked, helping Hakkai swirl the tiles on the wooden table.

"No, this is my first time," answered Teitiel humbly, but proud at the praise. Her ears perked up as she heard something outside. "Um, do you think we can go somewhere else at the moment?" she asked the group hesitantly.

"Why?" asked Hakkai first, voicing the question of the other youkai. "Is something the matter?" he continued gently.

"It's just that the people of this town aren't really nice to me and I feel that they're going to hurt me again," she ended in a near whisper.

Gojyo, Hakkai, and Goku's eyes all steeled at that comment. What could this small girl have done to warrant such punishment. No matter what, they vowed, they would protect her from the rest of the villagers.

"I hear some foot steps outside...what if they're after me?" clambered Teitiel, suddenly frightened, though she did narrow her eyes slightly.

"Calm down, everything will be alright," Goku said quite gently, surprising the other members around the table. "Even if they managed to make their way in here all we gotta do is beat them up. Right guys?" Goku declared as he shot a look at Hakkai and Gojyo, asking them to agree.

"Hell yeah we would," declared Gojyo, actually meaning it. It wasn't everyday they ran into such a sweet and innocent girl. Something did seem a bit off about her, but he figured that was just his imagination, even if the feeling kept niggling inside his head.

"Of course we would," replied Hakkai gently, though his eyes opened up and the emeralds steeled slightly. There was no way he would let harm come to someone if he could help it. He might not have been able to save Kanan, but that didn't mean he couldn't save Teitiel. There was only so much guilt a person could take.

Teitiel really wanted to get out of the room. There was no telling what the monk would do when he returned to look for his companions. She was growing rather fond of the group, regardless of the countless warnings other people have given her. They were...comforting, for lack of a better word. Yet, she still had a mission to accomplish and wasn't about to let something as ludicrous as _feelings _stand in her way. Despite her good nature and obvious trust she placed in these men to protect her, it wasn't really what she was worried about.

When the priest had stormed out of the inn and left her alone with the demon's of the party she couldn't help but feel as if Buddha himself was looking out for her plan. This gave her more time necessary to gather the amount of power to begin the spell work on the three demons. Each of them was a special and tricky case. When she examined them together it seemed simpler, but it seemed that these three were no ordinary demons. Far from it actually. So she decided to look at all of them separately. During breakfast, while Goku and Gojyo were happy to fill in the silence with endless chatter, she had stayed calm and quiet, concentrating on the task at hand.

She spread her powers, they weren't really telepathy, but it was something like it, and soundlessly and painlessly invaded their minds. Usually she would conduct this procedure with as much pain as she could muster and render the other useless with a mind somewhat intact, but this was a different assignment and it required stealth and a lot of patience and time. She extended the tendrils slowly, starting with Goku since he already seemed very fond of her. Teitiel smiled at the thought. No one ever had really _liked _her for who she was and that made her wish she didn't have this mission. Then again, it wasn't as if Goku knew her really either. His opinion could drastically change once he found out what she was doing to him.

Goku's mind seemed the easiest to invade at that time simply because the boy was so open, trusting, and free that he didn't have any real mental barriers. As she explored his mind several images of memories passed by her. She could probably stay there forever with nothing but memories to look through, but she wanted to avoid that. Getting stuck in someone else's mind was not a pretty thing to think about. She shuddered at the thought and the memory of her sister. Yes, not a pretty thing to think about at all.

As she continued her exploration she came to the memory of what seemed a younger version of Goku and the priest. Goku looked as if he was imprisoned in a cave with nothing to see but a changing landscape and a brilliantly shining sun in the sky. It was a very odd memory and part of her felt unease at looking at such a personal thing, but curiosity got the best of her. She played the memory as if it was a movie clip as she watched everything from the outside instead of from a persons point of view like it was usually done. She noticed the blonde Sanzo priest approaching the naturally made, yet magically enhanced, cage with an annoyed look on his face. She then noticed how his step faltered a bit as he noticed the cage for himself. The younger Goku looked up at the young man's face, surprised to see that someone had actually found him, where ever he was.

Teitiel was about to continue to finish looking at the memory but breakfast had just ended and they were going to go and play some mahjong. Anything to be in this groups company longer. She rubbed her eyes a little wearily, the memory viewing took a lot out of her. Maybe she shouldn't do it again. It felt as her powers were everywhere at once and felt herself spread a little too thin. She subconsciously gripped the jewel hanging around her neck and under her shirt. None of the guys around her had asked about it, then again, they probably hadn't seen it either.

Throughout the games they played the older demons around her continued to converse. She would answer only direct questions and dared not elaborate since her concentration was somewhere else. She continued her exploration of Goku's mind, well aware of the other tendrils making their way into Gojyo's and Hakkai's minds. Those tendrils were only getting comfortable inside their heads and clouding some of their demon sensoring, but weren't active since she decided to explore their minds one at a time. A sudden rush of power reached her and replenished her a bit. It seemed that the demons she had taken control of earlier were now gone. It was only a matter of time actually.

As she continued with her infiltration into Goku's mind she found the part that held his feelings and emotions. She was quickly able to find the one about her since she knew herself best and increased the affection levels in that particular emotion. She hated doing this and she hated having to need to do this too. It just wasn't fair, but then again, nothing in life was. After that she went in search of Goku's power core. Once she found it and tried to gain access to said core something had violently threw her out a bit. She felt her real life body shake a bit, but was unconcerned about that. Something had shoved her, but what was it? A sudden flash of a person who looked like Goku but wasn't passed in front of her, protecting the power core. The Goku like creature had long hair, cat like eyes, and sharp claws and teeth. Who was this?!

She decided that it would be too much of a hassle at the moment and that it would require too much power to make another attempt. Teitiel left another tendril of herself in there. The longer a tendril stayed inside someone's mind the more it actually seemed like part of the mind and would therefore be able to bypass most mental barriers. She hoped this would be the case with Goku's power core.

Next she would focus on the gentler one of the group. Hakkai should be simple as well since he seemed like such a caring individual, despite him feeling a little different than the other demons she invaded before. Teitiel steeled herself against any mental barriers as she slowly reached out to the tendril that had been buried inside the green-eyed man. As she reconnected with the tendril she suddenly felt hurt and attacked.

So much for Hakkai being an easy case! The man had mental barriers so thick that it would take her a very long time of careful dissection to get through them. Now she wished this wasn't a stealth mission. It would be much easier to just rip apart the ebony-haired mans' mind and enter without having to deal with the barriers, but that just didn't seem like an option right now. She gave the tendril a much needed power boost as she doubled herself inside his mind and looked for something, anything, that could help her with this mission. There was no luck though as the mans' barriers held. She reconnected with herself, made sure the tendril had enough power to break through the barriers at the moment and left it in there much for the same reason as the one in Goku.

She looked across the table where her last victim was sitting. Gojyo sat there with a grin on his face as he traded insults and stories with Goku. Teitiel felt herself hesitate. These men had done nothing to her to warrant such deceiving tactics, but again she squelched those thoughts and focused her mind against the red-haired man. She did the same thing as when she entered Hakkai's mind first. She reconnected herself with the previously left tendril and noticed that although Gojyo's mind had mental barriers as well they weren't as tough as Hakkai's. She wanted to sift through some memories first, to get a sense of who this person was. It was standard procedure. As she approached that part of his mind, however, is when she encountered the strong barrier. There was no way she was going to get through this part any time soon either. She let out a mental sigh. This mission was turning out to be harder than she first assumed.

She continued her exploration a little more, sifting through feelings and the little memory clips attached to them. It was better than nothing. She was about to head to the power core, much like in the exploration through Goku, but felt something odd with the tendril she had left. It wasn't connecting properly as it should be. What was wrong though? Teitiel thought about it a little more, analyzing the reason for the instability.

To start with the basics, her power only affected demons. Did this mean that Gojyo wasn't a demon? No, that wasn't right. She felt his demon aura before she had even invaded his mind. But then why was there a resistance to her power. Only humans could not be affected by her. Was that it? Gojyo was clearly a demon, but was he also a human? Was he both? Now there was a thought that made sense. Just great. Now she didn't know which one of these victims would be the hardest to deal with.

To recap: Goku was easy enough to invade, until she reached his power core. An extremely dangerous part of him guarded that very tightly. With Hakkai she hadn't even made any leeway into his mind. The man's barriers were like steel. Gojyo on the other hand had only minimal mental barriers, but what made him difficult was that he wasn't a full demon, therefore rendering her powers a little useless against him.

She let out another mental sigh. Things weren't looking too good. Oh, and now to make things a little more difficult it seemed as if the priest had finally made it back to the inn and was searching for the rest of the group.

Goku's praise cut through her thoughts.

"Oh wow, you really got the hang of this!" cheered Goku. "You sure you haven't played before?" he asked, helping Hakkai swirl the tiles on the wooden table.

"No, this is my first time," answered Teitiel humbly. "Um, do you think we can go somewhere else at the moment?" she asked the group hesitantly.

_TBC_

**

* * *

A/N: **Okay, I know a lot didn't happen in regards to moving the plot, but at least some major background information happened. Despite me wanting to finish this up in 7 chapters it turned out that really isn't going to be the case. Please look forward to any future chapters and thanks for reading, especially you my reviewers: 

**gerigirl-**you're just going to have to keep reading to find out how our 4 heroes fair in this battle. Haha, thanks for reviewing and sorry so much about the chapter taking so long.  
**Jarm-**thanks for your review too. I won't abandon the story, it's just a matter of sitting down and typing up chapters that gets tricky.  
**StarComets 04-**Thanks so so much for your kind review last chapter. I'm really glad that you feel like they're still in some good character and haven't OOCed yet. Haha. Hope this chapter also helped clear up _why _the guys were acting a little out of it and stuff. I'm definitely going to continue this fic.  
**Ashler-**haha, thanks for the review. Sorry about the late update, but hey, at least there was an update!

Keep reading please!


	8. Ideas in Motion

"**Your Voice, Your Heart"** _by: Setsuna X  
_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**Summary: **Stuck in a town for days Goku finds himself enraptured by a young girl. When the time to leave comes, will he leave with Sanzo, who always treats him badly, or stay with the girl who promised to love him forever?  
**Disclaimer:** Can't say I own them….however….*sneaks off*  
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**Chapter 8 - Ideas in Motion**

"_Why?" asked Hakkai first, voicing the question of the other youkai. "Is something the matter?" he continued gently._

"_It's just that the people of this town aren't really nice to me and I feel that they're going to hurt me again," she ended in a near whisper._

"_I hear some foot steps outside...what if they're after me?" clambered Teitiel, suddenly frightened, though she did narrow her eyes slightly._

"_Calm down, everything will be alright," Goku said quite gently, surprising the other members around the table. "Even if they managed to make their way in here all we gotta do is beat them up. Right guys?" Goku declared as he shot a look at Hakkai and Gojyo, asking them to agree._

"_Hell yeah we would," declared Gojyo, actually meaning it._

_"Of course we would," replied Hakkai gently, though his eyes opened up and the emeralds steeled slightly._

* * *

  
"Um, then can we leave now? Actually, there was something I wanted to show you three," Teitiel continued, really needing to get them out of there. It would be so much easier to deal with the Priest if there weren't so many people in the way. Besides, the forest she planned on leading them to gave her an advantage.

"Something you wanted to show us?" asked Hakkai, a little wary. Goku just jumped out of his seat, full of energy.

"Come on then! Let's go," the boy chirped as he bounced on the balls of his feet. Gojyo smoothly stood and tucked a crimson strand behind his ear.

"Alright, we're going already," said Gojyo in a slightly whining voice, but was actually amused by Goku's behavior. It was good that the kid was able to get along with people around his own age. It was a miracle he got out of living at that temple with Sanzo as his major influence as happy and carefree as he is.

All four made their way out of the room, Teitiel leading the way and walking briskly, knowing she had little time left and that they were able to keep up with her as well. The rest of the Sanzo Party had their auras masked simply because they already had Teitiel's mind tendril implanted in them. It required more power to mask their auras, but it was worth it if they were able to sneak past the Sanzo priest.

"So what is it that you wanted to show us?" asked Goku as he caught up to her strides and walked beside her. They passed through the main floor and walked outside without much hassle. The innkeeper had ran to the kitchen after hearing several things fall. Teitiel inwardly smirked and commanded the youkai that had infiltrated the kitchen to run back into the forest.

"It's a secret," she said with a wink and a light giggle. Goku looked on, transfixed. He could here Gojyo laughing behind him.

"What's so funny, Gojyo?" asked the chimp.

While laughing, Gojyo managed a response, "Oh, no reason." He added a sharp grin. Hakkai just smiled serenely at their little group. Hakuryu flew off Hakkai's shoulder and transformed into Jeep. Teitiel exclaimed in surprise, and Goku was all too happy to explain to her about Hakuryu.

It was still raining, but only lightly, so it wouldn't be much of a problem. 'I hope we don't get too soaked,' thought Hakkai to himself. Gojyo was thinking around the same thing, but looking at the genuinely happy face Goku was sporting was enough for him to not mention anything.

Hakkai, ignoring the conversation behind him as Teitiel and Goku climbed on the back, looked at the passenger seat that was normally occupied by Sanzo.

"What's up? The monk disturbing your thoughts?" asked Gojyo as he adjusted himself into the seat.

Hakkai frowned. "Something like that." He managed a pointed glance at the two in the backseat without them the wiser. "Though I don't care to mention anything at the moment." Gojyo caught on to what Hakkai was saying, but didn't say anything. His face had gained a frown, but quickly replaced it with a slight grin when he noticed that Goku was staring at him.

"What is it, monkey?" Gojyo teased.

Goku huffed in return. "I have nothing to say to you, water sprite, just that Teitiel was wondering when we were gonna start moving."

"Oh!" exclaimed Hakkai, a bit embarrassed. "Pardon me," he said as he turned on the ignition. "Where to?" he asked gently.

Teitiel just smiled warmly at him, although on the inside she was becoming steadily nervous and irritated. She really didn't want to be caught now. "Just head to the area I assume you found me. The thing I want to show you is around there."

"Very well," responded Hakkai as he began to drive in that direction.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

Sanzo exited his room with a new purpose in his stride. He decided to go to Hakkai's room first. After no one answered his knock he tried the door and was surprised to actually find it open. He searched quickly, but everything was in place and there were no clues as to where they could have gone.

Next he decided to try Gojyo's room, since it was just next to Hakkai's, but once again there was nothing. Sanzo was becoming irritated and he ended up lighting another cigarette to keep himself calm. Finally he checked Goku's room. The rolled up futon was lying on the bed. On top of the table that was in the middle of the room was a box. Upon closer inspection Sanzo realized that it was their game of mahjong they usually end up playing when they have nothing better to do. It seemed that they had played a game since Teitiel would have been the forth person necessary. But nothing in the room gave away to where the rest of the party could be.

With a low grumble from his throat Sanzo made his way back down to the main floor to have another chat with the innkeeper.

**

* * *

  
In the Forest**

After getting out of Jeep Teitiel began to make her way into the forest.

"This way, it's just a bit further," she said, leading the way. Goku followed immediately while Gojyo followed next. Jeep transformed back into Hakuryu. Once the small, white dragon perched on Hakkai's shoulder the green eyed demon whispered something to him. Hakkai looked up at the sky to watch as Hakuryu flew away. Once done he followed right after Gojyo.

"This forest is really dense," commented Hakkai once he caught up with everyone.

"Yes, it's like a natural deterrent. It acts like a shield to keep others away from here. The forest is also sort of like a maze. If I wasn't here to help navigate then you three would have probably gotten lost for several hours at the least," explained Teitiel.

"Oh my, that does sound like a deterrent alright," replied Hakkai.

"Detergent?" asked Goku in a whisper toward Gojyo.

"Not 'detergent' you stupid monkey, 'deterrent'. It means to hold back someone or something," answered Gojyo in an exasperated tone.

"I'm not a monkey," hissed Goku, but ignored Gojyo's comeback and caught up with Teitiel, walking next to her.

As they continued on walking Teitiel checked the tendrils she had implanted on the three other youkai. The one in Goku was exceedingly strong, probably because he was so infatuated with her. His trust made it easier to take over him.

The one in Hakkai was still struggling since the green-eyed man's mind was locked pretty tightly, but that didn't mean that small parts of the tendril hadn't been able to sneak in. If anything, the tendril itself was breaking down and entering into Hakkai's mind ever so slowly, but it was better than nothing. Once enough parts of the tendril entered they would combine together once more and become even stronger.

The one in Gojyo was behaving around the same way. Because he was a half-breed, the tendril-magic was not being absorbed into his mind as readily, but since he trusted her more than Hakkai did it was easier to get the pieces of the tendril slip inside.

Things were progressing, albeit a little slower than she would have liked, but it was better than nothing and she realized this was her only chance.

Finally they came across a small clearing. The trees were thick around the clearing, but at the center it was just grass and some weeds.

"It should just be a little further. This clearing lets us know that we are already three-fourths of the way there," explained Teitiel. As she took one more step further, a knife sung through the air and landed just an inch from her foot. Teitiel let out a shriek. That had been close. Hakkai, Goku, and Gojyo were already in their battles stances, having summoned their weapons. Their backs stood to Teitiel as they guarded her from each side.

"Shit! Did anyone see where that came from?" voiced Gojyo.

"Teitiel! Are you alright?!" asked Goku worriedly.

"Yes, I'm alright, just a little scared."

"Don't worry, we'll protect you. Right guys?"

"Of course Goku. Now concentrate. Can you sense anything?" asked Hakkai as he strained his vision to look through the thicket of trees.

"No, nothing really, but I can smell them," responded Goku, his eyes narrowed.

"How many?"

"I can't say for sure, but at least 10."

What the three youkai didn't know was that the longer they used their powers and weapons the faster her tendril magic worked and invaded their minds. Their demon powers were pretty stagnant, almost dormant, but once they summoned their weapons, even Hakkai's chi energy, their demon power began to flow through their bodies, making them more susceptible to her tendril's power.

In both Hakkai and Gojyo the broken off pieces of the tendril were able to swim through their mind barriers and were now beginning to reattach themselves. The one in Goku was pulsing with power; it was already reaching the limit. Soon enough she would be able to control his body and actions.

Another dagger was suddenly flung from the trees, but Hakkai was quick and flung the a chi ball in that direction. All that resulted from that was a sharp cry as the demon died. Tietiel released a small gasp once the power returned to her from controlling that demon, although it was well hidden as a gasp of astonishment.

Soon demons began pouring out of the forest, their movements odd. Their arms were slung weirdly, as if they were simply hanging there, but their agility was something else. Gojyo, Goku, and Hakkai danced around Teitiel, making sure she was still being protected while at the same time killing as many demons as they could.

Every time another demon was destroyed its power flew back to Teitiel, making her stronger. The strength of the tendrils she controlled inside the remaining members of the Sanzo party increased as well. It was almost time for her plan to be set in motion.

* * *

**  
Back at the Inn**

Sanzo made his way back down to the main floor and called over the innkeeper.

"Did you see anyone from my party leave the inn?"

"No, nothing Master Sanzo," stuttered out the innkeeper.

Sanzo released a small 'che' as he continued toward the front door.

"Wait!" called out the innkeeper. Sanzo stopped, turned back and lifted an eyebrow at the innkeepers' direction.

"I do remember something strange that did happen. I was standing here after you left, but then I heard a loud noise from the kitchen so I left the room and went to investigate. It took me probably around 7 minutes. Lots of pans were on the ground and several dishes were broken, but no one was around. It was possible that your party could have left during that small time that I was away," explained the innkeeper as he wrung his hands nervously. He hoped that Master Sanzo wouldn't be too irate with him.

Sanzo glared at the innkeeper, but then nodded his head in acknowledgement. Seven minutes would be enough time for a group of people to just walk out. The innkeeper hadn't moved from his station all day except for that small time frame, which meant that those fools were in the inn the whole time and had just left. That, however, didn't help him figure out _where_ they had gone to.

Sanzo walked out the door of the inn and stood outside the building, leaning against the wall deep in thought. From what he heard from the villagers, it always rained when the girl-demon was using her powers. From what he discerned those powers included controlling other youkai. But how did that work? And had she managed to already take control of the three idiots? Probably Goku and Gojyo gave into her already, but he had a little more faith in Hakkai.

The villagers also often spoke of the forest. They were wary of the highly dense area and would avoid it at all costs. Some even went as far as to tell him that any human who entered there never came back. It seemed highly suspicious and his only lead. But just where should he enter the forest from? It was vast and had many openings.

Sanzo bit down on his cigarette in irritation. He had told himself that he was going to let the morons take care of themselves since he didn't want to get mixed up in anything having to do with that Teitiel demon, but to hell with it. He'd probably been the main target from the start.

And if he rescued them after telling them there was something fundamentally wrong with the girl-child then he could hold it over their heads for a while.

Yes, some things were just worth all the trouble.

_**TBC**_

**

* * *

  
A/N: **Wow, this update should have come way sooner, but I admit I'm not much into Saiyuki at the moment. I've been exploring some new anime (finally) but regardless I promised myself that I wouldn't ever abandon a story. The whole concept is written out, I just need to type the individual chapters. Thanks to **DarkSiren49** and to **Angelwahalla and Spazwahalla** for their reviews, and thanks to those of you who've read.

_Previously Updated: 02-08-2008  
Updated: 12-30-2009_


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